


The Whole World

by wonduhwoman



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Family, Fluff, Implied Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Levi becomes a parent AU, Other, papa levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 05:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2218401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonduhwoman/pseuds/wonduhwoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Levi gets custody over Eren and Mikasa after the fall of Wall Maria.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Whole World

As quickly as the multitudes flooding into the walls of Trost, the news of the fall of Wall Maria had spread among the people. The heightened fear of the Titans was as unexpected as the influx of mouths to feed. Resources were slim. These refugees had nowhere to go and no one to take them in; Erwin knew they’d immediately man the fields to make up for the lack of sustenance throughout the empire.

He shook his head. These people had just lost everything. They'd seen things more than half the population couldn’t even fathom. And yet they would be the ones treated like dirt for their intrusion deeper inside the walls.

And this new fear of the Titans was troublesome to a man like Erwin who wanted nothing more than to take back the world from these monsters. This fear could affect a man one of two ways. It could drive a man to give his all for the sake of humanity, or it could cause a man to shut himself away from the world and cower behind the confines of his home. Unfortunately for Erwin, you run across more cowards than you do heroes in a world like this.

There was a knock at the door, and Erwin quietly granted them permission to enter. He didn’t bother to turn around from his desk to see who it was, but he had no need to. A deep voice, belonging to none other than the man deemed Humanity’s Strongest, dripped through Erwin’s room like venom.

“I’ve got a message here for you.”

Erwin turned around and cocked an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Levi to run errands for him, or anyone at all. But he took the letter regardless, unfolding it and glancing over the beginning. The first thing he noticed was who it was addressed to. This time he raised both of his eyebrows in honest confusion.

“It’s addressed to you,” He told Levi.

“You think I don’t know that?” Levi asked, looking a little more pissed off than usual, “I want you to read it and tell me what the hell it’s supposed to mean.” There was a hint of finality in his voice that he usually reserved for his subordinates. Under any other circumstance this wouldn’t affect Erwin, but he decided it best to humor the angry looking man in front of him.

The letter certainly was odd. The sender wasn’t a name familiar to the blonde. He asked Levi if he knew whom “Grisha Jaeger” was but the only response he received was a growl and a shake of the head.

“Do you believe all that garbage?” Levi inquired vehemently, “Sounds like a crusty old man who’s gone off the deep end. And he wants me to take in his son and adopted daughter? How did this lunatic ever even hear about a guy like me? Why me?”

While these things were disconcerting, they weren’t what had Erwin on edge. This Jaeger man seemed to know that he’d inevitably die, even sent this message before the chaos of the fallen wall could deter it from it’s destination. Not only that, but the tone of urgency he’d used in his letter made it seem like this was a life or death situation. As if this man knew that Erwin was the kind of man who liked to take risks.

Erwin, at least, was able to find the answer to one of Levi’s questions.

“The girl—his adopted daughter—her last name is Ackerman.”

He could see the way this information troubled the shorter man. His eye twitched at the mere mention of the surname. He appeared to be fighting some kind of inner turmoil, looking away from Erwin in thought.

“Is that supposed to make me fine with dropping everything to babysit some brats?” His grey eyes flashed with something that the blonde couldn’t quite discern. 

Erwin shrugged, “It’s a common name.”

Sort of.

He knew that Levi has always had to struggle with upholding the name of "Humanity's Strongest" while still protecting the people he cares about. This is what had the small man all riled up. He didn’t need anyone else he cared for to be taken away from him. He didn’t need anyone else he cared for period. But he was also a damned good big brother.

And Erwin so does enjoy taking risks.

Whoever this Jaeger is, he sure has the two of them pinned.

“I think you should do it.”

“What?” Levi snapped.

“Are you going deaf, Levi?” Erwin bit back, albeit a bit more politely than his shorter comrade.

“You can’t be serious.” He growled, fists clenched at his side. Erwin almost expected one to lash out to hit him. “I always knew I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Erwin only smiled at his fellow soldier, knowing for certain that Levi didn’t believe what he was saying.

“I don’t have the authority to force you to do anything like this, you know.” Not yet, at least, “I can only persuade you; it wouldn’t be a permanent arrangement. This man seems to be convinced that his son will enlist in the cadets when he’s old enough. And even more certain that this Mikasa will follow. It would only be for a year, and then they’d be out of your hair.”

“The fact that they would be in my hair at all is what’s dissuading me.” Levi’s tone was dry, but at least he wasn’t snapping at him in anger anymore, “And that’s not even the biggest issue. This man seemed to somehow know that both Shinganshina and Wall Maria would fall today. I can’t trust that.”

Levi was more perceptive than Erwin gave him credit for.

“We’re talking about two ten-year-olds. How much of a threat could they be?” Erwin smirked, “Even if they are, I think you’re more than capable of handling them.” He felt the need to reiterate, “They’re ten after all. But the fact of the matter is that these kids have nothing. Even if it’s right for us to be cautious of their father, he appears to be dead and not an immediate threat. I think that there’s valuable information to learn from this development. It would be wise for us to take this opportunity to learn whatever it is this man knows. If that means babysitting a couple of kids then so be it.”

Levi snorted. “I knew you had tactical reasons.”

Erwin couldn’t deny it, but he also felt for these kids.

“They’ve both lost their families.” He muttered somewhat to himself, but his eyes focused to the disbelieving man in front of him. “The Jaeger's adopted Mikasa, that means that this is her second time losing hers. I think she could use the emotional support right now, don’t you? These kids are humanity’s future.”

“I’m shit with kids.”

Erwin shook his head, “You only think that.”

“I won’t do this.”

“Yes you will.”

“You don’t have the authority to give me orders.” Levi was getting pissed again.

Erwin smiled, “You’re right; that will change. Soon too, I think. I need you to understand that I will not hesitate to give you orders when that time comes.” Levi huffed, going without another word. He left the door wide open in favor of slamming it shut, no doubt to spite the blonde man who’d found so much comfort in his chair. Erwin sighed, but nonetheless stood up and closed the door.

He was right, of course.

Commander Shadis decided to put his effort towards training the new cadets. He passed the torch to Erwin, just as the blonde had predicted. Levi didn’t look too pleased at this development, but he also didn’t look all that surprised. And when they’d passed each other in the hall, Levi simply rolled his eyes and asked when the brats would show up at his threshold.

“Tomorrow.”

And that’s all that was really said about the matter.

The next morning when Levi opened his door to head down to the dining hall, he was stopped by two sets of wide eyes staring up at him. His perpetual scowl only deepened, and he had to refrain from forcefully pushing past them. He wasn’t equipped with the proper personality traits to handle these brats with patience. Wasn’t patience a must when it came to kids?

“Are you Mr. Levi?” The boy—Eren, if he remembered right—asked, tugging on the end of his jacket. Levi cocked an eyebrow at his boldness. 

He swatted the kid’s hand away, “Don’t call me that, and don’t touch me.”

He felt another hand on his other side, “You’re not as tall as I expected.” Was that a smirk on the little girl’s face? He could barely make it out behind the scarf wrapped around her neck, but it was there. “You’re actually rather short, aren’t you?”

It appeared that Levi had two little devils on his hands.

He swatted the girl’s hand away, and loomed over them with murder in his eyes. Ackerman didn’t bat a lash, while Jaeger at least had the decency to look a little nervous. Despite this, the brown-haired boy stood in front of his adopted sister to protect her should the need arise.

“Listen, you little shits,” Levi spat, putting his hands on their shoulders a bit roughly but not enough to cause any real damage, “You want to be a soldier?” Eren nodded enthusiastically and Mikasa shrugged, “Then expect to be treated like soldiers. I won’t tolerate any insubordination; just because I’ve been assigned to look after you doesn’t mean you can expect any special treatment. Address me as sir. Don't touch me.”

He didn’t really know what he expected.

Well, he did expect for them to follow whatever orders he gave. At the same time, he knew the brats would give him as much hell as possible. 

They would get up early to help the soldiers with whatever mundane cleaning assignment they had. They were respectful to the higher ups, and performed all the duties of a soldier sans fighting. But they still insisted on calling him “Mr. Levi” and belittling his personal boundaries. Whatever he tried to do, he couldn’t get the kids to follow those two simple orders. Even when he’d make them scrub down the bathrooms, they’d just smile and go but not before patting his leg or ruffling his hair.

Due to the lack of space, they shared a room right next to Levi. It was two weeks after their arrival that he overheard them arguing. To his credit, the walls were thin and they weren’t exactly being quiet. It was late, and he wouldn’t be surprised if they woke up the entire city of Trost with their volume of choice.

“You’re going to get yourself killed, Eren.” Mikasa’s voice was a deadpan, but Levi managed to pick out the little bits of desperation in the way she said his name.

“At least I’ll die for something then!” Eren was as passionate as ever, “I don’t want to die behind these walls, Mikasa! Not when the rest of the world is something we can save. I promised myself anyways that I would kill any Titan that crossed my path. For mom’s sake.”

“Only idiots join the Scouting Legion. Idiots with a death wish.”

He heard Eren growl, “Brave men join the Scouting Legion! You think Hannes was brave? Huh? He stared down a Titan with swords in his hands, and he ran away. He ran away, leaving my mom behind as a distraction! I don’t ever want to turn out like that, Mikasa, it wouldn’t be right!”

“He saved us.”

Her response was so quiet that Levi almost missed it.

“He saved us, Eren. He made it behind these walls in one piece and he brought us here with him. Had he fought that Titan and won, there still wouldn’t have been enough time to save your mother. She sacrificed herself because she loved you, and Hannes honored that. He may have been a coward, but he’s the reason we’re alive. She sacrificed herself because she loved you, and I will honor that. I won’t let you get yourself killed, you cannot join the Scouting Legion.”

Levi felt like this was as good a time as ever to lift himself from his bed to confront the brats.

“You can’t baby me, Mikasa, and you won’t stop me!”

Levi opened his door, and Eren and Mikasa immediately shut up. He strode across the hallway and opened their door with a forceful shove. He didn’t bother to be quiet; chances were that no one was asleep anymore anyways. Mikasa sat at the end of Eren’s bed, glaring up at Levi. The brown-haired boy looked terrified at the sight of the short man and he drew his blankets up around him like a cocoon.

Levi merely raised an eyebrow at them.

“If you need to shout, by all means.” He set his focus on Mikasa, “But perhaps there’s a better time?”

“You heard all that?” Eren queried, mortified.

“There’s not a soul alive who didn’t, I’m sure.”

Mikasa’s eyes flashed with something.

“What do you think about it, Mr. Levi?”

He sighed, not wanting to be dragged into their squabbles. But he figured he might as well humor the girl if it meant he’d get some shuteye.

“You’re both right.” He was met with blank stares. He growled, striding over to the bed and planting himself between them. He turned to Eren, “Only idiots join the Scouting Legion. Chances of survival are bleak. You’d be better off giving your all to the Military Police.” He turned to Mikasa, “The Scouting Legion can’t afford cowards. You want humanity to win? You need to fight. But the real fight lives outside the walls.”

They took in his words silently.

“Now go to sleep, you little shits.”

He stood up to leave, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned toward the source of the hand. Eren. He couldn’t refrain the growl of annoyance, but this didn’t seem to discourage the boy. His green eyes met Levi’s straight on as if they were searching for something.

“Why did you join the Survey Corps, Mr. Levi?”

“I was blackmailed.”

Eren blanched, so Levi backtracked.

“Initially that’s what it was, at least.” He glanced at the black-haired girl, “I was blackmailed by Erwin of all people. But now all I want is to take back what humanity has lost, and I’ll kill every Titan that crosses my path.”

“A brave man whose not an idiot, huh?” Mikasa eyed the older man, and after a long stretch of silence said, “Go to sleep. You look terrible.”

Levi sneered and slammed the door on the way out.

A few days later, Mikasa confronted him. She was alone; the boy she usually kept by her side was nowhere to be seen. The whole situation seemed off to the older man. She’d actually knocked on the door too. Instead of barging in like the brats usually did, she’d knocked. She came in, head low and steps timid.

He hated how his voice softened at the sight.

He stood from his chair and knelt in front of the girl.

“What is it, Mikasa?”

“Mr. Levi?” She put a shy hand on his arm, but her eyes wouldn’t look up from the ground. This wasn’t the same girl that he usually encountered. She’s tough; she doesn’t back down from doing the things she wanted. She’s the bravest little girl he’s ever met, and he’s only known her for a couple of weeks.

He’s not really sure why he did it. He’s not going soft, but he couldn’t treat her like he did most people. She’s a child and needs affection. He wasn’t the kind of man to care about things like that. And yet here he was, picking her up underneath her armpits and setting her on the bed with him. She looked just as shocked as he felt by the gesture. She took comfort in the arm draped around her back, even as his cold stare looked anywhere but her.

“You’re blushing, Mr. Levi.”

He grumbled, “You came here for a reason, did you not?”

She nuzzled into his shoulder, almost sending the man into cardiac arrest. Ackerman has known him for two weeks and already feels comfortable enough putting her trust in him. Levi wondered what he’d ever done to deserve these kids in his life.

“Is it true what they say about you, Mr. Levi?”

“You’re going to have to clarify.”

“Are you really humanity’s strongest soldier?”

“That’s what they say, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I need to hear it from you.”

Levi blinked.

There was hair in her eyes and it took all his willpower not to reach out and brush it away.

“Yes, Mikasa, I really am humanity’s strongest soldier.”

Mikasa was silent for a long time; she tugged the red scarf up a little so that it was covering her mouth. She looked up at him, and he saw something in her eyes that made his insides twist.

“Eren is so important to me, Mr. Levi.” Her eyes were somewhere else, like she was seeing memories instead of his arm wrapped around her. “My parents were murdered, did you know that? The murderers wanted me, and my mom too. To sell us, or something. But she put up too much of a fight. I was so resigned; I thought if I tried to run away or fight back they’d kill me too. The Jaegers were supposed to come that day, but they hadn’t shown up yet. Eren—he knew I was in trouble somehow. H-he snuck up on two of the men and killed them. He freed me, and told me how important it was to fight. There was another man, and we killed him together.” Levi was shocked. How old must they have been? “Do you understand, Mr. Levi? Eren is my whole world, and I can’t lose him after everything!” She was crying, “Eren has to live! I’d die to protect him! You have to promise me that you’d do the same! Please, Mr. Levi!”

Levi was at a loss. He’d been in this situation before. He’d had people that he vowed to do everything to protect. And what had that amounted to? He shut his eyes in pain just at the memory.

There was something different about these kids though, but he couldn’t name it. Mikasa confirmed his suspicions when she’d told him how they’d kill her parent’s murderers. These kids were capable, and Ackerman had as much passion about protecting Jaeger as Jaeger had about protecting humanity.

But they were only ten-years-old.

“There’s something you have to understand about this world, Mikasa.” Levi spoke slow and clear, “Life is hard by itself, but the presence of the Titans only makes things shittier. I’ve promised to protect people before, only to watch them die at the hands of those monsters. I’ve promised to kill for the sake of those people, and I turned my back on that notion in favor of restoring humanity’s freedom. I’m not like Erwin. I won’t use soldiers as pawns. But I also understand that soldiers die. The world is unpredictable, and sometimes you and I won’t be there to protect that idiot brother of yours.”

Mikasa sniffled, “He’s not my brother.”

Levi smirked, “No. Just your whole world.”

Mikasa blushed.

Levi rolled his eyes, “Eren isn’t incompetent either. He may be dense and on a good day somewhat competent, but he’s got more spirit than most kids your age. When the time comes, I think he’ll be able to take care of himself. If he’s unable to for whatever reason, I promise that I’ll do what I can to protect him. But if the unspeakable happens and the world loses Eren Jaeger, know that you will not be alone.” 

His eye twitched a little, “Why am I so attached to you brats?” You’d never find Levi saying such kind things to Jaeger. Only to Mikasa.

“You’ve only known us for two weeks, sir.” Levi nearly fell off the bed. Had she actually called him sir? Inwardly he groaned; she made the term sound affectionate. But he felt warm and so did she and that was all that mattered. “By the end of the year we’ll have you completely wrapped around our fingers.”

“Don’t count on it, brat.”

She was right of course, but Levi tried not to let it show in front of his subordinates. Erwin made him a squad leader, but he never left the walls while he was in custody of the little shits. Sometimes that really pissed Levi off. For the most part he enjoyed his time with Eren and Mikasa—even their friend Armin on occasion—but he felt useless when he wasn’t fighting.

The kids were comfortable around Levi since day one, at least when it came to bodily contact. It took a while for the older man not to jump when Eren grabbed his hand, or when Mikasa hugged him. After a while it became routine, and he loved the way their hands fit inside of his. He felt content when they’d lean their heads on his shoulders. His arms felt like shields when they were around them, and he couldn’t get enough of that feeling. They still called him Mr. Levi and Mikasa would sometimes endearingly call him sir, but he didn’t care anymore. When it was time for them to start their journey as cadets, he bid them farewell with a lump in his throat.

“Give Shadis hell, yeah?”

They smiled. Eren sent him a thumbs up, “You can count on it!”

“But not the same kind of hell we give you.” Mikasa ensured, hugging Levi around the middle and digging her face into his neck. She was tall enough to do that standing up now. Eren was still short as shit. She pulled back a bit to look him directly in the eye, “You’ll be leaving the walls again, right?” Levi nodded. “Don’t do anything stupid. Also, visit if you can.”

“If you can’t, write letters!” 

Eren was too excited to be joining the military, Levi thought.

“I’ll write,” He reassured. He didn’t want to sound too affectionate, so he added a “you little shit” just to be sure. Eren just sent him his shit-eating grin, grabbed Mikasa by the hand and ran off. They kept waving to the Captain as they went, and Levi swore they took a piece of him with them.

He sighed.

Time to take out his frustrations on some Titans.

Four years wasn’t a long time at all, but it felt like an eternity to Levi. As it happened, there wasn’t an opportunity for him to visit his favorite brats. They did keep in touch through letter, although Eren was shit at writing. When he’d heard the news of the breach at Trost his heart nearly fell to his stomach. He left to the city as quickly as possible, his mind racing with different scenarios. Some good but mostly bad, and that only made him push his horse faster. He wasn’t able to make the trip overnight; he had to stop at a couple of inns on the way. From what little word he heard, the people in the city had successfully evacuated. The death among the civilians was minimal. The death among the cadets was a whole other story.

He shook the thoughts away.

He had already acted irrationally, but there was no need to go complete bat-shit crazy. He should have waited to leave with the rest of the Survey Corps.

But when he’d heard the alleged plans to seal the hole in Trost, he became confused. How could they possibly manage such a feat? Surely it was a suicide mission. His fists clenched at the thought. If Eren and Mikasa had survived the initial onslaught, they’d die at some futile attempt to regain a city.

He had to get there quickly.

When he’d finally arrived, the last thing he expected was to be speaking to Eren from outside the kid’s jail cell. He’d heard the news about him. He was as shocked as the rest of them. But he also heard how he’d retaken the fallen wall. When he was told that Eren discovered his shifting abilities after a Titan had swallowed him, he nearly punched a hole in the wall.

What an idiot, getting eaten like that. If he had been anyone else he’d be dead.

And now Levi was waiting with the Commander for the brat to wake up. Erwin was eying the key that’d been around his neck carefully, but Levi could care less about all that stuff. He couldn’t believe that they were alive. He looked down, shaking his head with a laugh. These kids were capable in ways he’d never seen. He gained word of Mikasa’s remarkable fighting abilities. Even Eren had been among the top ten cadets. He was . . . proud of them.

But it wasn’t over yet. He knew what would happen to Eren if he was handed over to the Military Police.

He would do anything to prevent that.

When the brat finally woke up, he was obviously confused. Confused about where he was, confused by the shackles around his wrists, confused by the men standing guard outside his cell. His eyes widened at the sight of Erwin and Levi. There was a brief flash of excitement in his eyes that turned into disappointment when he tried to move forward. The chains stopped his movements in their tracks.

Levi moved forward, wishing he could put his hands on the brat’s shoulders to tell him everything would be okay. He had to settle for leaning against the bars separating them. He met Eren’s eyes.

“Hey brat.” He said, “You look bigger.”

“Levi?”

It killed the short man that he was no longer Mr. Levi.

“You’ve caused quite the stir, Jaeger.” Erwin stated authoritatively from behind the short man. He was still examining that damned key. “It’s essential that the Survey Corps gain custody of you. We can’t let the Military Police have you. You know what that may entail, right?” He directed the question at Levi.

“My record should be more than enough to convince them.” He growled, gripping tight to the bars of the cell.

“I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.” Erwin held up the key to Eren, “You’ve said that this may lead to some answers about the Titans?”

Eren nodded, “I think so, anyway. My memory isn’t clear, but my dad seemed to think it was important.” Erwin’s eyes narrowed in contemplation. He stood up from his chair and placed a large hand on Levi’s shoulder. He jerked his head in the direction of the door. Levi understood. He sent Eren one last desperate glance and then followed the blonde man out the door.

Levi was pissed off.

These fat pigs couldn’t see Eren’s potential. Even if they could, he doubted that would change anything. These men were proud, how could they find it within themselves to rely on a fifteen-year-old boy? And one that shifts into a Titan. The temptation to smash their stupid faces in was a strong one. He had to pinch the bridge of his nose to stop himself. While he would interject with scathing remarks when the opposition said something particularly foolish, Erwin had it covered. All Levi had to do here was remind the higher ups just who would be watching over the boy. He was hopeful that it wouldn’t come to more than that.

He’d made eye contact with Mikasa across the room, and the hand rubbing his temples froze. Damn, that’s right. Eren had attacked her in Titan form, according to the report that was filed. Of course they would bring her here. That just pissed him off more. If things got ugly . . .

It would be hard enough without her watching!

Levi sighed when they began to ask her questions. Eren seemed shocked at the news. So he hadn’t been aware of himself then? Not like he believed that he would attack Mikasa of his own mind. He cared too much for the girl. And when they started accusing her of being a Titan shifter too, he made it evident just how much he cared for her. But Levi grew nervous. If they were going to claim that Mikasa was biased, then they would do the same to him.

That is not what he wanted at all.

“Eren would join Captain Levi’s team,” He heard Erwin stating, “I think most would agree that his record speaks for itself—”

“It is our understanding that Captain Levi was in custody of Jaeger between the time of the fallen Wall Maria until the kid joined the cadets. You can’t expect us to trust that he’d take the monster out should the need arise!”

This was it. He inhaled deeply before addressing the pigs, “I would do anything necessary to protect the last of humanity. Even you pigs don’t deserve to die at the hand of a Titan. You want to cut him up and examine him, right? Do you even know how to discipline him?” He stepped out, walking towards Eren. He could see Erwin nodding solemnly from the corner of his eyes, but he ignored the bastard. “In my opinion the best discipline is pain.” He kicked Eren’s face with as much force as he could muster up. He hated himself because of the blood, and because of the tooth that flew from the boy’s mouth. He hated himself as he kicked him again and again and again, until Eren’s body seemed to give up on itself and slumped to the ground. He hated himself as he grabbed Eren’s head by the hair and showed off the blood on his face to patronize the Military Police.

They all thought Eren was the monster, but Levi was the one that felt like he should be on trial here.

He heard Erwin giving his proposition, taking the kid in for a test run. Levi didn’t pay attention; he was too busy being disgusted with himself.

He was there when the brat woke up. He needed to be. Not just to explain, but to make sure that he’s okay. He new he’d recover quickly if what the reports said was true. His physical ailments did concern him, even if Levi was the cause, but he was mostly worried about what kind of thoughts were running through the boy’s head. He needed Eren to know that he wasn’t a monster just because he could turn into one.

Hanji got to him first. Levi rolled his eyes.

When they made eye contact, whatever the shorter man was about to say died on his lips.

“I understand why you did what you did, Mr. Levi!” Eren yelled, stunning Levi, “I know what’s going on in your head, and I just gotta say that you need to stop feeling like shit. You had to do it to protect me, right?” Levi blinked and nodded. Was this the same dense kid he remembered from four years ago? “Shit you’ve gotten soft.” Levi huffed at that. “Besides,” Eren’s voice grew soft, eyes turned to the ground. “I don’t want you holding back. Just because you’re Mr. Levi and I’m one of your annoying brats doesn’t mean you won’t have to kill me if I lose it. I wouldn’t want you to hold back, not when people’s lives are in danger because of me!”

Eren looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“No one is in danger because of you, brat.”

Eren sighed, “That’s not true. I attacked Mikasa.” Levi sat down next to him while Hanji and the others stepped back to give them some space, “What if I had hurt her? Or killed her? I could have killed her! It took Armin stabbing into the back of my neck so he could talk to me to make me sane again. I-I don’t know why I have this power, and I don’t know how to use it. I—”

“Shut it, brat.” Levi interrupted, “You’re making me feel like shit again.” Eren mumbled a sheepish ‘sorry’ before Levi continued, “You’re in my custody again, but this time you’re part of my team. We’re more capable then most give us credit for. From my understanding, we’re going to be heading off into the middle of nowhere to test out your Titan abilities. There won’t be anyone out there to hurt. At least, no one whose not trained and prepared to fight a Titan. We won’t have to kill you, brat.” Levi scowled, looking the kid up and down. “You’re taller than me now.”

Eren smiled, finally, and it made Levi much too happy, “Mikasa too!”

Levi’s returning smile was small but it was there. They kind of just sat there for a little bit, smiling at each other like idiots. But Levi’s face went back to its usual stoic expression after remembering that he was supposed to be comforting the little shit.

“She doesn’t hate you, Eren. You’re her whole world, how could she?” Eren blushed. Levi rolled his eyes. “She might hate me though.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of what I said at the courthouse. Because of what I did.”

“But you had to do that. To save me.”

Eren still doesn’t know about the conversation Levi had with Mikasa all those years ago. He shook his head. He doesn’t understand the promises the Captain made to the young girl. And he’d just gotten up and promised the government the complete opposite. Levi was a sham and Eren couldn’t see that.

So Levi snorted, ruffled the kid’s hair and let Hanji do her thing.

His assumption that Mikasa hated him was spot on. He heard that she’d joined the Survey Corps with a bunch of other brats from the 104th. He wasn’t exactly surprised; he knew that she was going to follow Eren wherever he went. He expected her anger, but he didn’t expect her to ignore him completely. When Eren had called all his friends over, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence. He crossed his arms, glaring at the lot of them. Eren seemed to be oblivious of the tension between the two. Levi had been wrong about him being less dense. He was still as idiotic as ever. He rolled his eyes and let the kid have his reunion with his friends.

He let her have her space, but after a while her games started to piss him off. Especially now that they were both soldiers expected to follow the same orders. Soldiers relied on one another, especially in this Titan-infested world. That’s why he grabbed her by the shoulders as they passed each other in the hallway and shoved her into the closest room.

It had been so long since the courthouse, and they were preparing to head out on their next expedition. He knew that they would have to be on better terms to protect Eren. Why couldn’t she see that?

She stumbled around from the sheer force he exerted on her. He closed the door, and raised an annoyed eyebrow.

She scoffed, “Do not give me that!”

Well, at least she was talking.

“Tell me,” He started, “What is it that I’m giving you?”

“I can see the resentment in your eyes. You’re blaming me for our severed relationship!”

“I don’t resent you, Mikasa.” Did she really think that? “It’s you who resents me, is it not? For breaking the promise I made you five years ago. That I would do everything in my power to protect Eren. And now I-I’m . . .” He looked at his hands in disgust, shoving them in his pockets, “I’m his executioner. I’m to kill him if he ever loses control in a fit of rage. That will be my job, and all of humanity is relying on me to do that. I hate myself for it; that kid’s a blessing to all of mankind and I don’t want to take that away from this fucked up world.”

“Eren is stronger than you give him credit for.” Mikasa was still glaring at the shorter man. “He’s grown so much, and he’s more determined than ever to make the outside world open to humanity.” She played with a few of the frayed ends of her scarf, as if wrapped up in a memory, “You saw him didn’t you?” Levi wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about but she continued anyways, “His eyes glow. Have you ever seen a Titan who’s eyes glow?” Levi shook his head and understanding glossed over his eyes, “Me either. He was so vicious, but he was protecting us from them.”

Mikasa grabbed Levi’s arm and forced him to look up into her eyes, “Eren is a guardian! He’s not a threat! He’s humanity’s last hope and he will bring us to the outside world one day!” She lowered her voice, “I know you won’t kill him. I was never worried about that!”

“Then why were you giving me the cold shoulder, brat?”

She shrugged, “I guess maybe I did believe it for a second at the courthouse. You were very convincing. Maybe I was mad about that, maybe I was mad at the fact that I hadn’t seen you in four years—I’m not really sure. But I’m glad that you’re here. We’ve missed you so much.” She threw her arms around the older man, “Your arms were like barricades, and I missed that. Ever since my parents died, you’ve been the closest thing I’ve had to a father.”

Levi froze at her words, but did not retreat from her grasp.

She thought of him . . . as a father?

He closed his eyes and leaned against her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She was too big now; he couldn’t rest his head on top of hers any more. He was going to miss that, but this was also good.

“I’m sorry.” He rubbed her back. As usual he made sure to call her a ‘little shit’ in case she didn’t already know. She smiled at the term of endearment, clinging to him tighter.

Their little ‘family’ was screwed up beyond repair, but it worked. Levi sometimes wondered how he managed to get stuck with two brats again, but he was grateful for their presence in his life. The difference between this time and before, these kids could take care of themselves without him. They were both strong, and that went beyond their physical abilities.

And when they’d pat his hair and call him Mr. Levi and make stupid jokes about his height, he felt completely at home.

Whenever that thought entertains his mind, Levi can’t help the shit-eating grin that overtakes his face.

What a fucked up world to find a family in.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. I've never written anything for Attack on Titan before, but I had a good time writing this. Please let me know if you see any kind of typo and I will go back and fix it. Also, let me know what you thought!


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